Railroad-cab coupling



A. HEBBARD. Cai" Coupling.

' Patented Apr. 13 1858.

UNITED STATES PATENT ()FFICE.

A. HEBBARD, OF GALESBURG, ILLINOIS.

RAILROAD-CAR COUPLING.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 19,925, dated April 13, 1858.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALBERT HEBBARD, of the city of Galesburg, in the county of Knox and State of Illinois, have invented a new and Improved Car-Coupling, the title of said invention being called a Self Car- Coupling; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof.

The nature of my invention consists in providing a large round or oval ring or clevis and a hook on each bumper to be used in lieu of links and pins that are now in common use, reference being had to the accompanying drawings and to the letters of reference marked thereon, being a part of this specification, in which Figure 1, is a plan or view of the upper side. Fig. 2, is a longitudinal or sectional View. Fig. 3 is a front elevation or view.

Letter A, is a round or oval ring or clevis and is attached to the bumper B, at the under side, the upper side or anywhere between.

B, B, are car bumpers, each belonging to a car.

C, C, are springs or catches fixed to the dead wood block, D, and are used to hold the ring or clevis A in an upright position against the face of the dead wood block D, as shown by dotted lines on Fig. 2, at w, the ring or clevis A being slightly held in that position by the catches C, C, sufliciently that the jar of the car in running will not cause the ring or clevis A to ,fall down until the bumper B strikes the other car, then the concussion will be sufficient to lower the ring or clevis A from the catches C, C.

D, is a stick of timber bolted to the end of the car, and is usually called dead wood block.

H, is a latch fastened to the face of dead wood block D, by common staples being driven into dead wood block D, and a spiral spring one end of which being fastened to dead .wood block D, the other end fastened to latch H and sufficiently strained to keep the latch H in an upright position against the face of dead wood block D, and sufficiently elastic to allow the lat-ch H to be brought down so that the end of the latch H will lie on the top of the hook of the bumper B and the ring or clevis A of the other car being placed on the latch H, will keep the latch H down on the hook of the bumper B, and when the car moves away the ring or clevis A, will slide off from the latch H, also slide off from the end of the bumper and hang down as shown in Fig. 2 and Fig. 3, the latch being (more particularly) intended to be used when the cars are backing and making what is called a run ning switch.

I, is a staple representing the stake in common use to hold up the bumpers B.

The open mouth of the bumper B and the pin hole marked E are inserted for the pur pose of coupling on to cars that have the common link and pin coupling.

Operation as a self coupling, the ring or clevis A being placed in a perpendicular position against the face of dead wood block D, as shown by dotted lines on Fig. 2, at a: and held there by the springs or catches (3,.(1, one car is then made to move toward the other until the bumpers B, B, strike each other. The bumpers will be driven under the car from g to 2% inches which will bring the ring or clevis A against the lower corner of the dead wood block D at m, which will force it from the springs or catches C, C, and will throw it forward on to the bumper B of the other car at or near 0, and upon the car starting will be drawn into the hook of the bumper B. To un couple the cars the ring or clevis A is lifted from the hook of the bumper B, the latch H is brought down so as to rest on the hook of the bumper B, the ring or clevis A is then placed upon the latch H and the weight of the ring or clevis A is sufficient to hold the latch H down until the car moves away. When the car moves away the ring or clevis A will slide off from the latch H, and from the end of the bumper B, and will fall down and hang underneath the bumpers as shown on Fig. 2 and Fig. 3. The spring connected with the latch H, will immediately raise the latch H to an upright position against the face of dead wood block D, and will hold it there-so that it will be ready for coupling again.

O0nstmmtz'0n.The bumpers should be made of cast or wrought iron in the ordinary way with the exception that the ring A, must be permanently attached to the bumpers B and a hook at the end of the bumpers. The rings A should be made of wrought iron round rods about 1% to 1% inches in diameter. The latch H should be made of wrought iron about g of an inch rods and attached to face of dead wood block D, near the bottom of said block by means of common staples, or they may be attached by means of an iron plate and screws. A spring must be fastened one end to dead wood block, the other end fastened to the latch H, and sufliciently strained to hold the said latch in a perpendicular posit-ion against the face of the dead wood block D, and sufiiciently elastic to allow the latch to be brought down so that the end of said latch will touch the top of the hook of the bumper. The springs or catches C, C, may

be made of spring steel in the form of a scroll, or they may be made as follows: A bolt inserted in a socket, said socket secured to the face of dead wood block D by screws, said bolt to be operated by a spiral spring coiled around said bolt, (and they would work similar to the catch bolt of a common door look) so that when'the ring or clevis A is raised up against the bar of dead wood block D the said rin or clevis will slip be- 

